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Health Insurance

The idea that most middle-class Americans have been treading water economically is conventional wisdom. It is already playing a role in the 2020 campaign, as the Democratic presidential candidates propose policies (Medicare-for-all, free college tuition at state schools, subsidies for child care, to mention a few) intended to relieve the …

The latest stats from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services suggest coverage applications for 2020 have dropped 15 percent from 2019 numbers. Nov. 20 (UPI) — Enrollment in Affordable Care Act insurance plans for 2020 remains sluggish, even after early technical glitches with the healthcare.gov web site have been resolved. In …

With relatively little fanfare, poor and sick Americans around the country were just handed a series of sweeping victories. That’s because a growing number of states appear to finally be backing off from an organized effort to rip away their health care. I’m referring to Medicaid work requirements, policies that kick …

Her plan is serious, even if it probably won’t happen. Last week I worried that Elizabeth Warren had painted herself into a corner by endorsing the Sanders Medicare-for-all plan. It was becoming obvious that she couldn’t stay vague about the details, especially how to pay for it; and some studies, even by …

Oct. 28 (UPI) — Federal rule changes that take effect in January have the potential to alter traditional employer-provided healthcare coverage, doing for medical insurance what the 401(k) did for worker pensions four decades ago.A change to the Internal Revenue Service code, set to take effect Jan. 1, allows employers …

We know how important it is to have insurance so that we can get health care. As a physician, parent and patient, I cannot overemphasize that having insurance is not enough. As a gastroenterologist, I often prescribe expensive medications or tests for my patients. But for insurance companies to cover …

Poor Americans are less likely to be thrown out of their homes if they have health insurance IN ABRAHAM MASLOW’S hierarchy of needs—a well-known theory in psychology—people worry about their health only after they have secured food and shelter. In America, the opposite can be true. Those without health insurance …

Patricia Powers went a few years without health insurance and was unable to afford regular doctor visits. So the Missouri resident, who lives near St. Louis, had no idea that cancerous tumors were silently growing in both of her breasts. If Powers lived just across the Mississippi River in neighboring …

DETROIT — Poor people in Michigan with asthma and diabetes were admitted to the hospital less often after they joined Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. More than 25,000 Ohio smokers got help through the state’s Medicaid expansion that led them to quit. And around the country, patients with advanced …

A relentless rise in premiums and deductibles is putting insurance out of reach for many workers, especially those with low incomes. Jessie McCormick had to quit her job to afford health care. Ms. McCormick, 27, who has a heart condition, had an opportunity to move from part time to full …

In the first three months after getting his Dexcom continuous glucose monitor, Ric Peralta managed to reduce his average blood sugar level by three percentage points. “It took me from not-very-well-managed blood sugar to something that was incredibly well managed,” says Peralta, a 46-year-old optician in Whittier, Calif., who was diagnosed with …

Fountain Valley resident Jennifer Moore makes a really good point. “When you take your car to the mechanic, they give you a written estimate before they touch it,” she told me. “So why is it that when you go to the hospital, you have no idea how much something will …